With the inaugural stage of the Tour of Italy of cyclocross Sunday in Corridonia (MC) the cyclocross season officially opens. A different vintage, designed without the constraints that the pandemic had imposed, but with a structure that should be taken with a pinch of salt., especially when, like Daniele Pontoni, you are in charge of the technical management of the movement and have to deal with the different needs of the athletes you have at your disposal.
In these days Punctual he is very busy with gravel, preparing for the historic first edition of the world championships on October 9th in Veneto, but clearly he has not put aside cyclocross which, besides being his first love, is also the specialty that requires the most effort and which He will be seen travelling around the fields of half of Europe until January, to continue the work that has already borne so much good fruit last season.
Pontoni and the trip to Spain
Pontoni intends to continue with a logical thread that characterizes his work: working with a long-term perspective, therefore operating above all with a view to the youth categories: «This is precisely why we chose to skip the opening of the World Cup in America.Last year it made sense because the World Cup was going to be held in Fayetteville, but now we've shifted our focus to Spain. Our national team, with about ten boys between under 23 and juniors, will go there for two weeks and a total of 5 races for the older ones and 4 for the juniors, who will return to Italy between one weekend and the next so as not to miss school, which is essential for me."
When will you start following the European Cup calendar?
From the first stage, in Tabor on October 23, but always privileging the youth categories, therefore going to those stages where they will be scheduled in addition of course to the local test in Vermiglio on December 17th. The calendar however seems very interesting to me, A few locations have been replaced, which is definitely a good thing for improving visibility.
Youth work therefore remains a primary focus in your management…
Definitely, and compared to last year, I intend to extend the discussion to students as well, through 3-4 retreats where we'll conduct tests to get a clear picture of the situation for the coming years. We have a vibrant movement, and we need to work on this while thinking about the future.
Does the strong focus on women's cycling, with many Italians moving abroad to WorldTour teams, put you in trouble?
Relative to the start of the season, athletes like Perch e Brawls for example they will not do more than a dozen races, even the Lechner will have reduced activity and also at male level Toneatti had from theAstana approval only for a limited number of events. This means that A gap will be created, especially among women, but I have to make do with what I have available.
It's also true that much depends on the perspective from which you look at the activity: the evolution of cycling is increasingly leading to women's calendar selection, just like the big names in men's cycling do...
I'm used to always looking at things from a glass-half-full perspective. I'm finding collaboration among the teams, though, and we're moving more and more towards the path that people like Van der Poel e Van Aert they have traced, selecting a certain period for their winter activity, but not giving it up. For me what matters is knowing when I will have the boys and girls available, then I work accordinglyBut this also influences our primary choice to focus primarily on the youth sector, further expanding our cycling base.
The Italian calendar has remained very busy, even after the pandemic, which prompted the Federation to expand the range of national competitions...
This is a good thing in my opinion. Previously, many companies in Central and Southern Italy were forced to travel long distances and therefore incur significant financial outlays. Being able to choose between multiple events now allows you to choose the closest ones and therefore keep costs down. I see a well-structured calendar that covers all of Italy (there are 30 races in total, from Sunday, October 2nd to January 28th and 29th, 2023, with the Italian youth competition, editor's note).
Are there any names you'd be willing to bet on at youth level?
In my role it is not right to name single names, but I can say that based on the activity of the last season we have at least three juniors who were first year and who will give us great satisfaction, I also expect a lot from girls like Venturelli e Crows who have had very successful seasons on the road and in mountain biking respectively. At the back, we have some real talents among the students that I have rarely seen at that level, so I am very optimistic.
